Quite an unusual record for Sonny Rollins – but a great one too! At first glance the concept is a strange one – almost a crazy decision to pair modernist tenorist Sonny Rollins with a set of large brassy arrangements – but oddly, the idea works, and works nicely – as Rollins' edgey solos cut through the heavy arrangements with ease, creating some angular counterpoint and a tight little space to make his own sound. The group was conducted by Ernie Wilkins, and the flipside of the album features Rollins playing in a small trio with the great Henry Grimes on bass (who also played with Rollins on some of his best sessions from the time!) and Charles Wright on drums. Titles include "Manhattan", "If You Were The Only Girl In the World", "Who Cares?", and "Far Out East". Originally issued on MGM/Metro – but this is the Verve pressing. LP, Vinyl record album

"Do Your Thing" is a great one from Charles Wright and the group! The cut's got that messed-up funky groove they hit so well – with lots of tight funky playing, some great shouted lyrics, and a hook that drives the whole thing home. "A Dance" is more conventional soul – but still pretty nice! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Mad mad funk, and the fantastic second LP by the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band – the group that proved to everyone that LA could be just as funky as any other city in the 60s! The record draws strongly from the group's indie roots in the funky 45 scene – and the album's filled with short tracks that bump along in jagged rhythms, offbeat arrangements, and some slight touches of sweeter soul. Charles Wright is leading the group on vocals, and taking a stronger presence on these soul-based cuts – but as before, it's the strength of the overall group that really makes the album great – especially the bass work of Melvin Dunlap and the funky drums of James Gadson! Titles include some killer original tracks by the band – like "Do Your Thing", "Giggin' Down 103rd", "Phuncky Bill", "65 Bars & A Taste Of Soul", and "A Dance, A Kiss, & A Song" – plus great covers of "Something You Got", "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag", and "Knock On Wood". CD features 8 more bonus tracks too – including mono single takes on "65 Bars", "Do Your Thing", and "A Dance A Kiss & A Song" – and the previously unreleased tracks "Poverty Stricken Chicken", "Happy Feet", and "You've Lost That Lovin Feelin" – plus "Bottomless" and the long version of "Do Your Thing". CD

Killer funky stoner soul from LA! This album is one of the best by Charles Wright and his legendary funky group – and it features some straighter soul material, like the big hit "Loveland", or their mellow take on "Light My Fire" – plus some great heavy funk numbers, like "Till You Get Enough", "Everyday People", and "Must Be Your Thing". The record's a huge testament to the strength of the group – as they handle the soul material just as well as they do the funky stuff that they're more famous for – and we really dig this one for its tightness and straight ahead positive soul! CD features 8 bonus tracks – the previously unreleased "I'm So Tired", a 1970 version of "Comment", a "Radio Spot", and mono single versions of "Love Land", "Till You Get Enough", "Light My Fire", "Comment", and "Must Be Your Thing". CD

Includes tracks by Three Dog Night, Rick Springfield, Hot Chocolate, KC & The Sunshine Band, Sound Experience, Ohio Players, Charles Wright, and Elvin Bishop. CD

Famous tracks from the legendary Miami Soul powerhouse TK Records – famous not because they were hits in the 70s, but because they were used in later years as hip hop samples – dug from the deep well of music that TK recorded back in the day, to lay the blueprint for a whole new generation! The set brings together 15 gems that are not only funky, and which have key elements that you'll know from hip hop songs – but which also stand pretty darn strongly on their own, as a fantastic overview of the care of creation that TK brought to its work in the studio. Titles include "Groove To Get Down" by T-Connection, "Dedicate All My Love" by Raw Soul Express, "Sweet Thang" by The 13th Floor, "Living Together Is Keeping Us Apart" by Clarence Reid, "Good Good Lovin" by Charles Johnson, "To Touch You Again/Lady Blue" by John Tropea, "Givin Me Your Love" by Facts Of Life, "Dance With Me" by Peter Brown, "Why Can't We Live Together" by Timmy Thomas, and both versions of "90% Of Me Is You" – one by Gwen McCrae, one by Vanessa Kendrick. Also features some J Rocc mixes – "I Get Lifted (J Rocc edit)" by George McCrae, "Keep It Up (J Rocc edit)" by Milton Wright, "I Love The Way You Love (J Rocc dub)" by Betty Wright, and "Clean Up Woman (J Rocc edit)" by Betty Wright. CD

An incredible early experimental album from Art Blakey – one of the first to feature him in expanded percussion format! Side one of the album features the extended "Drum Suite" – a set of 3 tracks ("The Sacrifice", "Cubano Chant", and "Oscalypso") that has Blakey and Jo Jones on drums, joined by Sabu Martinez on bongos and Charles Wright on tympani and gong. Ray Bryant snakes some soulful piano through the set and Oscar Pettiford is on bass and cello – and the overall feeling of the side is similar to some of Blakey's work in the format for Blue Note – like the albums Afro-Drum Orgy or Holiday for Percussion. Side two has straight hard bop, played by Blakey's 1957 combo that included Jackie McLean and Bill Hardman – and the group grooves hard on a classic reading of "Nica's Tempo", plus the cuts "D's Dilemma" and "Just For Marty". CD features 3 bonus tracks – unedited versions of "Lil'T" and "The New Message"! CD

A great burner from Diz – and one that features a large group, long tracks, and some stellar early work from Lalo Schifrin! Schifrin was in Diz's group at the time, playing piano and contributing fantastic Latin-tinged arrangements that gave the band a whole new life. Other players on this session include Candido, Leo Wright, Julius Watkins, and Willie Rodriguez – and the tracks include "Africana", "Blues", and "Panamerica". An incredible live set from Dizzy Gillespie – one that has him working in stunning big band mode, but with all the depth and agility of a small combo! The set features variations on a number of classic Gillespie themes – including "Kush", "Manteca", "Ool Ya Koo", and "Tunisian Fantasy (Night In Tunisia)" – recast with that ever-growing Latin influence that Dizzy was picking up in the 60s, supported strongly by the presence of a young Lalo Schifrin, who plays piano on the set. Horn players include Dizzy, Clark Terry, and Nick Travis on trumpets; Gunter Schuller and Jim Buffington on French Horns; Leo Wright on sax and flute; and Don Butterfield on tuba – supported by rhythm from Schifrin on piano, Art Davis on bass, and Charles Lumpkin on drums. Tunes are awash in soulful solos and deeply colored hues – and titles include "Manteca", "This Is The Way", "Kush", "Ool Ya Koo", and "Tunisian Fantasy". CD

An unusual little turn for the Ohio Players – a record that's almost completely written and totally produced by Richard Dimples Fields – running here at the height of his early 80s fame! The record's still funky enough overall – but in the style of some of Fields' indie work from the 70s – slightly sharp edged, but also moving into some of the more compressed hook territory that mainstream funk acts were hitting in the early 80s. The best Fields cuts are actually the more laidback ones, which have some southern soul influences – but the real standout here is actually a remake of Charles Wright's "Do Your Thing", which comes off with all the rough vocals and funky rhythms of the original! Other tracks include "I'd Better Take A Coffee Break", "Devoted", "My Baby Gets The Best Of My Love", "Just Me", "Sweet Lil Lady", and "Star Of The Party". CD

A deep double-dip into the legendary TK Records catalog of Miami Soul – and one that offers up a very different version of the label than you might know from the hits! This 2CD set follows in the best tradition of the Free Soul series from Japan – which means that the collection is filled with unusual tracks that we might have missed otherwise, alongside other numbers that we do know, but which seem to have a really special vibe in this setting – an unpacking of the TK catalog from top to bottom, with a special focus on warmer, more unusual bits of funk and soul. Titles include "Jolie" by Lattimore, "Don't Waste My Time" by Jerry Washington, "Keep It Up" by Milton Wright, "You Knock Me Out" by Wildflower, "Cramp Your Style" by All The People, "I Can't Leave Your Love Alone" by Willie & Anthony, "Street Love" by Spats, "Concrete Jungle" by Little Beaver, "Good Good Lovin" by Charles Johnson, "90% Of Me Is You" by Vanessa Kendrick, "I Got Bills To Pay" by Johnny K, "You Can Be A Lady" by JP Robinson, "Love Is A Simple Thing" by Leon Ware, "Island Girl" by Lew Kirton, "Share Your Love" by Herman Kelly & Life, "Ain't Nothin Wrong" by KC & The Sunshine Band, "What Would Your Mama Say" by Facts Of Life, "Jazz Freak" by Paulette Reaves, "Let's Make A Baby" by Funky Brown, "The Love We Had Stays On My Mind" by Freddy Henry, and "How Long" by Brandye. CD